Rise of the robots a lift for Shanghai

Name:Cloud Ginger
Manufacturer:CloudMinds Robotics Co Ltd
Height:158 cm
Weight:62 kg
Capabilities:Equipped with more than 40 intelligent flexible executors, the robot is capable of listening, speaking, seeing and moving based on multiple cloud-intelligent technologies. It can perform a variety of services including reception work, tour guidance, elderly care, cleaning, education and scientific research.

Battle of the androids

Chinese manufacturers are also wasting no time in producing humanlike robots, the benchmark of the industry.

Humanoid robots are anticipated to meet labor shortages in the manufacturing sector and elderly care, said Li Jing, deputy director of Shanghai University's Shanghai Robot Institute.

Shanghai-based CloudMinds Robotics is one of the Chinese companies trying to get a foothold in the healthcare and elderly care sectors. China is projected to have about 310 million people aged 60 or above by 2035.

CloudMinds is in the process of developing a mobile humanoid robot scheduled to be debuted by 2025, said Wang Bing, co-founder of the company.

Equipped with more than 60 intelligent flexible executors, the robot will be capable of walking on two legs and have the movements and flexibility of a human. This should enable it to do tasks such as helping senior people go up and down stairs.

The company has already launched a humanlike robot with two moving hands that can provide services related to elderly care and cleaning, as well as education and scientific research.

Fourier Intelligence unveiled its latest humanoid robot, GR-1, at the sixth World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai this month.

Electric vehicle maker Tesla also exhibited its general-purpose worker droid, Optimus. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has projected the robot will sell for less than $20,000.

"The launch of Tesla's humanoid robot prototype, the Optimus, has sparked a heated debate about the outlook of the sector. Some organizations have projected the particular robot will reach a sizable market share in the coming years," said Li Jing, deputy director of the Shanghai Robot Institute.

If hurdles such as product design, uses, technology, affordability and public acceptance can be overcome, Goldman Sachs envisions a market size of up to $154 billion by 2035. The estimate is close to that of the global electrical vehicle market and one-third of the global smartphone market in 2021.